Textile yarn mandrel



llg- 7, 1956 E. slNNETT K 2,757,877

TEXTILE YARN MANDREL.

I Filed March 27, 1953 :Snoentor 261556 wry/ae Gttornegs' United States Patent() The present` invention `relatesbroadly .-toxthe art of winding#` and moreparticula'rly, isrconcernednwith a new and improiled mandrel` for"I supporting. packages ofilamentary'materials during the-.winding and-otherallied processing,operations.I

During.theproductiomofnthe textile1iibers,-such as for example glass, iiber strands andA yarns; 1 it is frequently necessaryL that the bers be..rewound .onto various types f spools orfbobbins in .order that.operationsusuchjastwisting` or :plying may lne-.readily accomplished, and .that the .-ibers be; on that type` of@ spool ywhich 'is most suit-1 able for use with the customers .ber processing equip ment.. Thus, by4 way of-illustration, it has been the-practice in the yliber glass art to remove. the -newly formed strands from. supports: `onto which they areI received during` the-forming operation, and, afterrtwisting or plying thestrands, to wind the yarns formed of said'strands onto cones.` or spools which are designed especially for the ytwisting or plying equipment. Thereafter, if the needs-of thecustomer requireY the .yarns Ito been a particular type of'spoolfVand/ortor:be coated with a surf-acev treating substance, said yarns are-woundvonto a package particularly adapted to .v the customers manufacturing equipment.

By way of. further illustration,many-electricalequipment manufacturers are utilizing` .glass fiber yarnsfor a wide-variety ofpurposesbecause of their-high heat resistanceyhigh dielectric strength andwlow space factor.

And because of the structural'. characteristics of the-equip ment of said manufacturers, they demand that the fibrous yarns` befurn.ished on Whatu are known. pas split-tube serving packages? because of theazease-withf' which said` tubes, when exhausted,'may,be removed from'theirequip-` ment.

Prior. to, thetpresent invention, however, therev has been v a Ireluctance on the part.` of .the glass-rber producers to furnish, .and .a hesitancy'on the part'of-the electrical` equipment manufacturers to vaccepnvibrous glass yarns on. split tubes. The principal'lreason for this vhas been Generally speaking, lthe mandrebheretofore employed has operated` on- :an expansion Aprinciple to maintainV the split` tube infrigid and tight relation. Atypical' con'- struction=hascomprised a hollow metallici shafthaving diametrically opposed slotsextending along a portion 'of`v tapered-member quite frequently requires a toolV to effeet its removal fromfthelshaft; and after said' removal,

theasplit tube is passed vontoy saidfshaft.y Thereafter, the` cient distance to expand the' shaft segmentsfinto kirnr contact .with :the inner walls of thetube to therebymaine- Asx wasjalso noted, 'during sucha' rewinding' operation 2,757,877 Patented Aug. 7, 19,56

ICC

2 tainV it in rigid relation V.with said walls during the yarn winding operation.

However, experience has -indicated that even though,V the=split1 tube-upon locationV on the-mandrel was not expanded to a degree suicient to cause separation between its ends, when the winding operation was completed and the loaded -tube removed from the mandrel', theyarns carried on said tube were only loosely Wrapped thereon. Thisydisadvant-ageous situation is apparently the result oficontraction ofthe yarn, which in turn is caused by the weight' of the yarns themselves and the ytight condi.- tion. iny which they are-Wound. In' addition, it would appear that the tube is expanded during rthe winding of yarns thereon dueV also to -thefhighspeed at which the mandrel rotates.

Packages lcarryingvlo'osely Wound yarns are ofcourse generally commerciallyt undesirable due tothe difiiculty encountered in their ready removal, vand one manner of avoiding the diculty has been to employ lsolid rather than split tubes in the yfiber manufacturing operation.

However,-since solidtubes are inconvenient to; use on thewustomers'fabricating equipment, they constitute a generally-t unsatisfactory commercial substitute;

Itgis therefore lan importantaim of the present invention`v tor'provide a new` and improved mandrel foruse in the winding.k of--filamentary -materials, which mandrel maintains theyfilamenty receiving-tube orV package in sie-A cure relation thereon andipermts the packaging-of tightly* Wound-.iilaments on said tube;

Anotherobjectof the invention is to providev a mandrel for supporting tubes during the winding lof iila mentary materials thereon, characterized by the exertion of little; if :=any,expansive force fon the inner diameter of the 4tube-orf-package, and-furthercharacterized by the useof compressive force on opposite ends of the tube'.V

Another object of the invention lies inthe provision offra mandrebwhich is` readily removable; from its supf' porting :and driving shaft, andwhichcomprises-a sub# stantially cylindrical tube-supportingrnember anda read-f ilyrremovable cap member whi`ch is carried by said' shaft*v andwwhichismountedon saidtsupporting` member in;

overlapping relation therewith.-

Other objectslandwadvantagesof the invention will'v become. moretapparent during-'the course of the follow ingdescription when taken in `connection' 4with the accompanying drawing.

In: the drawingwherein like numerals arey employed Witlrwhich 'the present-mandrel'` is? particularly adapted; Figure 3 is a detail ,sectional View of the mand'relwcarl ried lup'onwa. su-itable driving shaft t'and shown supporting- Ia winding Vtu'betof ythe-character illustrated' in- Figurev 2;'

Figurer-4 .is-anexploded perspective' View vof the man--Y yFigure 5 is a; detail sectionalfvi'ew of a modified form-- of: mandrel. 1

AlthoughA the-mandrel disclosed -iln -the'rforegoingviews ofthehdrawingandi-'hereinafter described is'particularly adaptedi-tofthe-Windin'g offglass liber strandsand yarns,H it t willi f .be-.vappreciated f that `it is yalso well' `suitedas 'a' Y supportffor thefva-rious textile andresinousiibers, yand Iformsucli:N other=\uses-as: the winding lofrne diameter wire.y t

Asghas been1noted, it is frequently l,necessaryI toresV wind glass-liber yarns-fromthe tubesl or'bobbins, utili'pz'edv handleidi-upon the" customers'nianufacturing equipment..

various treatments may be applied to the glass fibers to modify the surface characteristics thereof for particular end uses.

Apparatus well suited to accomplish these purposes is illustrated in the drawing and reference is now made particularly to Fig. l, thereof. As shown, a plurality of twisted yarns 10, which may or may not be lalso plied, are drawn from the desired number of glass liber cones or tubes 11 through closed guide eyes 12 between hook guide eye 13 and over a surface treatment roller 14 partially immersed in a tank 15 of the chosen coating material. After passage over the roller 14 the coated yarns are fed between additional hook guide eyes 16 through a tensioning device 17 and are joined in parallel relation by a traversing guide 18 prior to being fed onto a tube or package sleeve 19 carried by the mandrel 28 of the present invention. The mandrel is supported upon a shaft 21 driven by a belt and pulley arrangement 22 connected to a source of power (not shown). Drive means 23 may be provided for the surface treatment roller 14 and this may also operate from the same source of power.

The foregoing process is known in the art as the multiple end winding operation and is presently most frequently used in the production of multiple end yarns from single end yarns for use in the reinforcement and insulation of electrical wire and cable. For this purpose two or more single end yarns may be combined, depending upon the degree of improvement in insulative and reinforcing properties desired, and the particular surface treatment may likewise be varied. Mineral oil, tricresyl phosphate, silicones, and other suitable substances may be employed to modify the surface characteristics of the glass fibers.

It has been found desirable that the glass fiber yarns as thus treated and wound be on a particular tube in order to be readily manipulated on the braiding equipment of the electrical manufacturer. One such 'tube which has been utilized with much success is shown in Figure 2 and this is termed a serving package. This package, designated generally by the numeral 24, comprises the tube or package sleeve 19, previously referred to, provided with a split or cut 25 longitudinally thereof and a pair of tube flanges 26 carried upon the circumference of the sleeve at the opposite ends thereof. The sleeve 19 and tube flanges 26 are preferably formed of a relatively heavy composition pressed berboard and the outer circumference of the sleeve is provided with a relatively rough surface to maintain the glass yarns in place thereon. As is shown, the tube flanges 26 are not carried by the sleeve l19 during the end winding operation, but are located on the sleeve after the yarns have been wound thereon and the sleeve removed from the mandrel 20.

Looseness of the yarns 'after completion of the winding operation, apparently caused primarily by the use in the prior art of an expansive force 'on the inner walls of the package sleeve to maintain said sleeve on a mandrel, is herein substantially avoided by the provision of a mandrel having the structural features shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing. It will be seen that 'the mandrel is carried upon the supporting and driving shaft 21 which is formed to provide at one end an exposed reduced portion 27 connected to the belt and pulley arrangement 22, and a raised relatively lthicker portion 28 having a keyway 29 extending longitudinally thereof. Also comprising a part of the shaft 21 and arranged adjacent the raised portion 28 at its opposite end is a set of external screw threads 30 provided on the normal diameter of the shaft 21. Spaced from said set of threads 30 and turned onto a reduced section of the same shaft 21 is another set of external threads 31 arranged on the outermost part of said shaft 21.

The mandrel 20 itself comprises a substantially cylindrical tube or body member 32 provided fat one end with an integral flange 33 and at the opposite end with a removable cap member 34, encircling or overlapping the body member 32. Said member 32 is carried by the raised relatively thicker portion 28 of the shaft and is secured thereon by a key 35 slidable in the keyway 29. In addition, the body member 32 is locked to the shaft 21 by a collar 36 having internal screw threads 37 which turn upon the threads 30 of the shaft 21 to thereby force the leading surface 38 of the collar 36 against the formed vertical wall 39 of the body member 32. The collar is further provided with a plurality of spaced holes 40 for the reception of the pins of a suitable wrench.

The removable cap member 34 has an inner wall diameter only slightly in excess of the outer diameter of the body member 32 and is provided with a set of internal threads 41 engageable with the threads 31 on the end portion of the shaft 21. Preferably the number of threads is not more than four in order that the cap member may be rapidly turned by hand onto the shaft 21 and the tube sleeve held firmly against the flange 33 with a minimum number of turns of the cap member 34. As shown, the shape of said member corresponds generally to a cylinder closed at one end, and at said end centrally thereof is located the set of internal threads 41. On the outer surface of the closed end and integral therewith there is provided a cap locking nut 42 which may be used to accommodate a suitable wrench when it is desired to tighten the member 34 on the shaft 21 with a greater force than that normally provided by hand action.

Assembly of the present mandrel 20 is accomplished by sliding the cylindrical body member 32 onto the shaft 21, and particularly, onto the raised relatively thicker portion 2.8 thereof. The key 35 is then inserted into the keyway 29 a distance sufficient to make a firm contact with the adjacent wall of the body member 32 and base of the keyway. The collar 36 is then turned tightly onto the innermost threaded portion or screw threads 30 of the shaft 21 and made secure thereon by a pin wrench or similar means. The tube sleeve 19 is thereafter passed onto the body member 32 and against the integral flange 33, whereupon, the cap member 34 is passed over the body member and tightened by engagement of the outermost threads 31 of the shaft 21 with the threads 41 of said cap member. The tightening action is continued until the open-ended outer wall of the cap member bears firmly against the end wall 43 of the tube sleeve 19 with suficient compressive force to prevent slippage of said sleeve on the mandrel during high speed rotation thereof. By virtue of the compressive action accomplished, which holds the sleeve tightly between the flange 33 and cap member 34, there is no tendency for the sleeve to open up along its split or cut 25 either when being tightened upon the mandrel, during rotation of the mandrel, or upon removal therefrom after completion of the winding of the yarns upon said sleeve. In this manner, the possibility of the yarns being or becoming loose upon the sleeve is substantially remote.

Upon completion-of the winding operation the sleeve 19 with the desired length and weight of glass fiber yarns 44 thereon is removed by first hand loosening the cap member 34 and sliding the sleeve rearwardly off the body member. Tube flanges 26 are thereupon located upon the ends of the sleeve and the serving package is completed and in the form shown in Figure 2.

Anotheradvantage resulting from the structure herein disclosed is that mandrels of varying outer diameters may be utilized without the necessity of replacing the supporting and driving shaft. inasmuch as tube sleeves are available in such diameters as 1%, ls/s, 1% and 2% inches, mandrels provided with body members of suby stantially the same outer diameters can be readily used on the same driving shaft byk having a uniform inner diameter on said members and by merely locating said v members yand their companion parts in the manner above described with reference to the assembly of the mandrel 20. Heretofore when it was desired to change mandrels it was necessary to also repla :e the shaft since they were integral parts.

The foregoing noted objective of avoiding looseness of the yarns may also be accomplished by the provision of a mandrel of the character shown in Figure 5. As illustrated, the mandrel 45 comprises a removable cap member 46 having a threaded portion 47 protruding outwardly of the center which is receivable within a threaded recess 48 arranged centrally of one end of the mandrel. The body member or tube 49 may be provided at its opposite end with an integral ange 50 as herein described and the threaded portion 47 of the cap member 46 may be turned into the recess 48 of the body member 49 so that compression is placed on the opposite ends of the tube sleeve 51 by the ange 50 and vertical wall 52 of the cap member 46. By this arrangement, opening of the longitudinal split in the package sleeve 51 is avoided and the sleeve securely maintained on the tube 49 during rotation thereof.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred embodiment of the same, but that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A rotatable mandrel for winding librous materials, comprising a supporting shaft provided at one end with a pair of spaced sets of screw threads, an open-ended cylindrical tube carried upon said shaft, means on said shaft securing said tube thereon for rotation therewith, a package sleeve having a split longitudinally thereof mounted upon said tube and rotatable therewith, means on said tube engaging one end of the sleeve, and means carried by the tube engaging the opposite end of the sleeve and urging said sleeve against said secondnamed means to compress the same endwise and to prevent opening of the split in the sleeve during rotation thereof.

2. A rotatable mandrel for winding fibrous materials, comprising a supporting shaft provided at one end with a pair of spaced sets of screw threads, an open-ended cylindrical tube carried upon said shaft and provided at one end with an integral ange member, a collar adapted for threaded engagement with one of said sets of screw threads and adapted to secure said tube upon said shaft, a package sleeve mounted upon said tube with one end in abutting relation with the ange member, and means carried by the other of said sets of screw threads for compressing said sleeve endwise against said ange member.

3. A rotatable mandrel for winding brous materials, comprising a supporting shaft provided at one end with a pair of spaced sets of screw threads, an open-ended cylindrical tube carried upon said shaft and provided at the end located most distant from said sets of screw threads with an integral ange, means adapted for threadedengagement with one of said sets of screw threads for securing said cylindrical tube upon said shaft, a package sleeve mounted upon said tube with one end in abutting relation with the ilange and rotatable with said tube, and means having a threaded bore engageable with the other set of threads to compress the package sleeve endwise against the flange.

4. A rotatable mandrel for winding fibrous materials, comprising a supporting shaft provided at one end with a pair of spaced sets of screw threads, an open-ended cylindrical tube carried upon said shaft and provided at its end positioned most distant from said screw threads with an integral flange member, means on said shaft for locking said tube thereto in non-rotatable relationship, means adapted to engage one of said sets of screw threads for securing said cylindrical tube upon said shaft in a fixed axial position in cooperation with said locking means, a package sleeve provided with a longitudinally extending seam mounted upon said tube in abutting end relationship with said ange and rotatable with said tube, and a cylindrical cap member having a threaded bore engageable with said other set of screw threads on said shaft and engaging the other end of the package sleeve to press the sleeve endwise against said ilange member and thereby prevent opening of the seam of the sleeve during rotation thereof.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,001,056 Lounsberry Aug. 22, 1911 2,134,475 Green Oct. 25, 1938 2,531,913 Kairn Nov. 28, 1950 2,564,746 Bauer Aug. 2l, 1951 2,656,990 Radtke Oct. 27, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 544,962 Germany Mar. 2, 1932 

